Ruthie Ayres is part of Samsara’s Enterprise sales team in the UK and Ireland. She works with customers that operate fleets with more than 750 vehicles in sectors such as logistics, nationwide vehicle recovery services, engineering, and construction. 

Here, she explains the importance of connected operations and how digitalisation is making inroads into manual processes. Above all, she talks about the importance of safety not just for fleets, but for society as a whole. 

What does Physical Operations and Connected Operations mean to you?

For me, it's bringing the digitalisation of technology into an operational platform, which opens up so many opportunities for our customers. It streamlines their business and gives them that real-time visibility that is crucial for the success of their business. 

You’d be amazed, but many of the companies we speak to are still using manual processes. So, when we sit down and talk – when I can explain the value of a connected operation – it’s like a lightbulb moment. To be able to align their operation and digitise it all into one platform – that’s when they can see the benefit we can bring.

But I thought everything was digital these days. Are you saying there are still parts of physical operations that still rely on manual processes?  

I would say that nine times out of 10, customers and prospects still rely on at least one manual process. For example, I spoke to a very large company recently — a huge brand with more than 6,000 vehicles. Even though they’re at the top of their game, they still rely on manual walkarounds of their vehicles.

So I showed them how they could capture all that information using a phone and our app. I explained how AI can ‘extract’ the data contained on a form and input it directly into our system with little more effort than someone taking a picture with their phone. They were just blown away.  

It’s well known that Samsara’s focus is on safety, efficiency and sustainability. In your opinion, what’s the most important part about Samsara’s work and its technology?  

Without a shadow of a doubt, for me, it’s all about safety. One hundred per cent. Throughout my career with telematics and anything to do with connected vehicle data, I've always focused on safety. Why? Because I think the biggest asset in any organisation is your people. 

The majority of fleets I deal with rely on professional drivers. For them to go home back to their families at the end of the day – fit and healthy — that’s our main priority. But it’s not just that. It’s also a duty of care to the public. It's our duty of care to the industry and society as a whole. 

Clearly, safety is an important factor for you… 

Absolutely. It’s a huge part of what motivates me. The fact that we’ve got data to back up how many accidents we've prevented by using Samsara technology proves that we put our money where our mouth is. 

In a lot of the industries I work in, they want to see these statistics. They want to see what we've done with other companies. They want to use these as examples to help them gain those results. In many cases, businesses are learning from the experiences of others.

One of the things I’m most proud of – and what I love most about working for Samsara – is its focus on safety. I get to help businesses become safer, which, in turn, makes an impact on the roads. Even if our technology helps save one life or prevents one accident, then that’s not just a good job, it’s a great job all round. 

Are there any stand-out customer stories that underline the importance of their work and the work Samsara does?

That’s a great question. It depends on the industry – because every industry has different challenges. But if you were to push me, I’d have to say anything to do with safety or incident reduction in the construction sector. Take Lanes Group, for example. Lanes have really embraced our technology. A lot of companies know about telematics, AI, and how cameras can be used. But not all of them know exactly how to utilise it, to get the best from the technology, or how to get the best return on investment for their business.

Lane’s have really nailed that. They know what they’re doing, and they’re growing their business with our help. 

What have you learned about the physical operations world since joining Samsara?

Well, I started out in this industry when telematics was literally just a black box! So, to see how far we’ve come — as an industry — is incredible. And although I’m relatively new to Samsara, I’m really impressed to see how customer-driven Samsara is. Everything we develop — whether it's hardware or software — is based on customer feedback. At Samsara, we listen to our customers. They help to shape our innovation and that’s not common in this industry. The biggest takeaway for me is that we really do listen to what our customers need, and that’s what drives us.